Tyrant or national hero? An interdisciplinary exploration of China's First Emperor

Ying Zheng, founder of the Qin empire, is recognized as a pivotal figure in world history, alongside other notable conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar. His accomplishments include conquest of the warring states of ancient China, creation of an imperial system that endured for two millennia, and unification of Chinese culture through the promotion of a single writing system.

Only one biased historical account, written a century after his death in 210 BCE, narrates his biography. Recently, however, archaeologists have revealed the lavish pits associated with his tomb and documents that demonstrate how his dynasty functioned. Debates about the First Emperor have raged since shortly after his demise, making him an ideological slate upon which politicians, revolutionaries, poets, painters, archaeologists, and movie directors have written their own biases, fears, and fantasies.

This book is neither a standard biography nor a dynastic history. Rather, it looks historically at interpretations of the First Emperor in history, literature, archaeology, and popular culture as a way to understand the interpreters as much as the subject of their interpretation.

Tyrant or national hero? An interdisciplinary exploration of China's First Emperor

About the Author

Anthony J. Barbieri-Low is professor of Chinese history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Artisans in Early Imperial China and Ancient Egypt and Early China: State, Society, and Culture.

Reviews

"Anthony J. Barbieri-Low's The Many Lives of the First Emperor of China is evidence that historical "meta-analysis" can produce a book as absorbing as a good narrative history...if you've ever stood agape at the material riches of the Terracotta Warriors or sunk deep into an armchair with a good work of historical fiction or biography, then this book is also for you."

* Asian Review of Books *

"Offers the most well-rounded depiction available in any language of the First Emperor's personality, lifestyle, and historical era, as well as the subsequent narratives that for centuries shaped how his reign was understood."

* Los Angeles Review of Books *

"This monograph by Professor Barbieri-Low, like its predecessors, offers brilliant insights into the history of China, and into ways of doing history, by finding a useful perspective that was hitherto ignored."

* Journal of Chinese History *

"Author Barbieri-Low looks at the first emperor of China in a lively, well-written, deeply scholarly book that unpacks how we know what we know about this controversial despot, alternately celebrated and reviled through millennia of history."

* Journal of Anthropological Research *

"Barbieri-Low has created a colorful kaleidoscope from which the reader can learn about the First Emperor, his reign, his impact, and his "many lives" reconstructed by scholars. The book demonstrates the author's wide-ranging research, erudite knowledge, professional acumen, and elegant writing skills. The entire monograph is stylishly written, poignantly fluent, soundly organized, and logically arranged. Barbieri-Low's engaging language grabs the attention of the reader who may want to read the whole book in one sitting. For anyone who wants to know more about China's first empire, its founder, its history, its culture, and its influence, this book is highly recommended."

* Chinese Historical Review *

"The Many Lives of the First Emperor of China is a clearly written, pioneering book that makes tremendous scholarly contributions to Chinese history and culture."

* Journal of Asian Studies *

"An innovative and virtuoso journey through thousands of years of representations of the first emperor of China."

* Journal of Anthropological Research *

"This volume reveals to us the immense imagination that can be generated and the great creativity of later generations provoked by Ying Zheng, a significant historical figure with an obscure biography. Given its innovative angle and erudition, it should be recommended to scholars of Qin studies and Chinese (religious) history."

* Religious Studies Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780295750224
Author Anthony J. Barbieri-Low
Format Hardback
Page Count 360
Imprint University of Washington Press
Publisher University of Washington Press
Weight(grams) 839g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 25mm